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03/10 21:31 CDT Ravens nix trade for Raiders' Maxx Crosby after star pass
rusher fails his physical, AP source says
Ravens nix trade for Raiders' Maxx Crosby after star pass rusher fails his
physical, AP source says
By MARK ANDERSON, NOAH TRISTER and ROB MAADDI
AP Sports Writers
The blockbuster trade sending star pash rusher Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore
Ravens is off --- and the fallout from that reversal could have a ripple effect
throughout the NFL on the eve of the new league year.
The Las Vegas Raiders said Tuesday night that Baltimore backed out of the trade
that was supposed to send Crosby to the Ravens for two first-round draft picks.
The deal was agreed to last Friday but couldn't be finalized until Wednesday.
A person with knowledge of Baltimore's decision told The Associated Press that
Crosby failed his physical. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because
those results are private.
Crosby underwent surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.
He missed the final two games of the season because of the injury despite
wanting to play through it at the time.
Crosby said on a recent appearance on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" that he was
"ahead of schedule" in his rehab.
One of his agents, CJ LaBoy, posted on social media Tuesday night that Crosby
is recovering well under the care of noted orthopedist Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
"Maxx continues to be on track in his recovery and if anything is ahead of
schedule according to his surgeon," LaBoy posted. "Maxx remains on track to
return during the offseason program & will undoubtedly return as the dominant
game wrecker he has been these past 7 seasons."
Crosby's addition was supposed to help lift the Ravens over the top, with the
draft picks expected to be part of a rebuilding effort for the Raiders. The
28-year-old Crosby had 10 sacks and a career-high 28 tackles for loss last
season, and has reached double-digit sacks four times in his seven seasons.
Trading even one first-round pick for a veteran was out of character for
Baltimore, which has taken drastic measures to try to recover from last
season's 8-9 showing. The Ravens fired coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons and
then were prepared to give up a lot for Crosby. His expected addition made
Monday --- when Baltimore lost several free agents to new agreements elsewhere
--- a bit easier for Ravens fans to bear.
Tyler Linderbaum, a Pro Bowl center for Baltimore, agreed to a contract with
the Raiders. Tight end Isaiah Likely, punter Jordan Stout and safety Ar'Darius
Washington reached deals to follow Harbaugh to the New York Giants. There were
other departures too, such as pass rusher Dre'Mont Jones --- seemingly
expendable with Crosby on his way.
Baltimore has a first-year coach in Jesse Minter and is in a win-now mode with
two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson. Crosby would have been a significant
boost for a defense that finished tied for 28th in the league in sacks with
only 30 last season.
Now, the Ravens will presumably shift course. Edge rusher Trey Hendrickson is
still available, although he had his own injuries that limited him to seven
games last season. Baltimore also had been hoping to sign Jackson to an
extension before the new league year.
The Raiders, meanwhile, own the No. 1 pick in the draft and are widely expected
to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Las Vegas has been extremely
aggressive at the start of free agency, agreeing to deals with several new
players and agreeing to trade quarterback Geno Smith to the New York Jets,
according to several people familiar with the moves who spoke on condition of
anonymity because the deals can't be finalized until Wednesday.
The biggest move the Raiders made was agreeing to a deal with Linderbaum, a
three-time Pro Bowler. He gets a three-year, $81 million contract with $60
million guaranteed to leave Baltimore and join Las Vegas.
That was one of a number of moves the Raiders made on Monday. They were the
NFL's busiest team in agreeing to contracts with free agents and their own
players.
Because they entered free agency with nearly $112 million in salary cap space,
according to overthecap.com, Raiders general manager John Spytek has room to
continue to be aggressive with or without Crosby's cap hit. He signed a
three-year extension a year ago worth $106.5 million, with $91.5 million
guaranteed, that briefly made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in league
history.
Where the Raiders go from here remains to be seen. It's unlikely they can bring
back Crosby given the enmity between him and the organization. He wasn't happy
about going through another rebuild and was especially upset after the club
sidelined him with two games to go last season.
If the Raiders shop him again --- which they probably will be forced to try ---
getting the same kind of offer the Ravens made likely would be difficult at
best.
Clubs also might be hesitant to be aggressive in pursuing someone with Crosby's
injury history even if his production has remained at a high level when he's
been on the field.
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AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow contributed to this report.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
